Chapter I - Pursuit

Chapter II - Flight into the Carnal
I run - to fly before this phantom o'er my soul
He comes - in every thought and dream that I behold
I hide - between the seams of other people's lives
I drown myself in finer things, to escape His eyes

My fear - fear knew not how to hide
as love - His love knew its pursuit

"All these things betray thee, Thou who betrayest Me."

Veiled - in luxury to clothe the void inside
Afraid - that having Him excludes all else beside
I flee - from dawn to dusk and back to break of day
Drowning - my heart in any lust to come my way

My fear - fear knew not how to hide
as love - His love knew its pursuit

The Hound of Heaven on my trail
His steady pace, unhurried chase; unchanging, never slowing
The Hound of Heaven will not fail
"Nothing shall now shelter thee, Thou who will not shelter Me."

Chapter III - Flight into the Noble
So I turn, hiding not in my lust, nature's secrets I trust
to bring me contentment I crave
As I learn, from every great poet's mind, philosophies to unwind
life's great mysteries, my self to save
Still I seek, in the noblest of arts, from the purest of hearts
some romancer, to quiet my soul
All is bleak, empty tears from my eyes, wash away the disguise
of false answers, that can't make me whole

The Hound of Heaven on my trail
His steady pace, unhurried chase; unchanging, never slowing
The Hound of Heaven will not fail
"No- thing will ever satisfy thee, Thou who is not satisfied in Me."
Chapter IV - Confrontation
My soul laid bare, my heart naked and uncovered
my armor ripped asunder by Your hand
Stricken down to my knees, I am utterly defenseless
nothing I can do to change Your master plan
Now the strength of my youth, impaled on vain pursuits
a corpse upon the heap of earthly lies

My days - have burned and blown like smoke before the storm
Dreams fade - and song has left this bard forevermore
Your bloom - of amarthine love won't stand aside
brings doom - burns all to ash, demolishing my pride

The throne of my heart, in judgment ground to dust
must dimly guess the purpose of Your time
War horns split the air, sounding forth from heaven's fortress
shrouded in the mist of the Divine
Then I glimpse eternity, and hear holy decree
as mist veils that great bastion once again

Now before the King, enthroned in majesty
now I know His name, and what the horn calls mean:
that my heart or my life is forfeit to His throne
that one must die: my self or my sin alone

The Hound of Heaven at my heels
His steady pace, unhurried chase, steadily pursuing
The hound of Heaven will not yield
"All these things will run from thee, Thou who tries to fly from Me."

Chapter V - Rebuke
At the end of the pursuit, finally caught up by that brute
His voice comes crashing down like thund'ring seas:
"Why should love set you apart? There's no good in your blackened heart
"I AM the only One to bring forth life!
"Human loves needs human merit, yours is stained a filthy scarlet,
"You've no clue of how unworthy that you are!

"Who can you find, who will love you as I? Coming down from on high
to pursue you, your dead heart to raise
"All your life, all the idols you chased, as I took them away
to protect you, by omniscient grace
"Like a child, you cannot comprehend, my eternal plan
to redeem you, now come follow Me!

Foolish man that I am - is the shadow I've been fleeing
just the shade of His benevolence?

"You fondest - blindest - weakest,
I AM the joy - that thou - seekest!
You wasted life in senseless flight,
foolish man who tries to hide from ME."

Chapter VI - Death and Resurrection

Chapter VII - Restoration
The Hound of Heaven snared my soul
His steady pace, unhurried chase, is always overcoming
The hound of Heaven made me whole
He took apart my wayward heart, just to resurrect me

The Hound of Heaven on the throne
his steady pace and matchless grace, is always overwhelming
The hound of Heaven brought me home
only He can make a way, for me to stand before the King




Behind the Song:
Based on the poem by Francis Thompson